2000 Italian Grand Prix
10 September |officialname = LXXI Gran Premio Campari d'Italia |circuit = Autodromo Nazionale Monza |location = Monza, Lombardy, Italy |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 5.793 |laps = 53 |distance = 306.719 |pole = Michael Schumacher |polenation = GER |poleteam = |poletime = 1:23.770 |fastestlap = 1:25.595 |fastestlapdriver = Mika Häkkinen |fastestlapnation = FIN |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 50 |winner = Michael Schumacher |winnernation = GER |winnerteam = |second = Mika Häkkinen |secondnation = FIN |secondteam = |third = Ralf Schumacher |thirdnation = GER |thirdteam = }} The 2000 Italian Grand Prix, formally the'LXXI Gran Premio Campari d'Italia', was the fourteenth race of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Monza, Italy, on the 10 September 2000.'Italian GP, 2000', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr660.html, (Accessed 05/09/2019) The race would see Michael Schumacher sweep to a popular and emotional victory for , matching the win tally of three time Champion Ayrton Senna. Qualifying had seen Schumacher claim pole position, with teammate Rubens Barrichello securing a front-row lockout for the Scuderia. Championship leader Mika Häkkinen lined up in third ahead of Jacques Villeneuve, while his teammate David Coulthard claimed fifth. The start would, unfortunately, see a huge accident claim the life of marshal Paolo Gislimberti, who was struck by an errant wheel. The trigger would be a collision between Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Barrichello, which collected Jarno Trulli and Coulthard as they tried to avoid them. The left rear wheel from ripped from Trulli's car, and would unfortunately strike Gislimberti as he emerged with a fire extinguisher at the side of the circuit. Further accidents saw Pedro de la Rosa catapult himself over the top of Johnny Herbert, while Mika Salo and Eddie Irvine clashed in the midfield. The sheer amount of stray carbon fibre and damaged cars ensured that the Safety Car was called, which remained out for eleven laps. In that time Jenson Button would become the seventh retirement of the race, swiping the wall exiting Ascari having had to take avoiding action after teammate Ralf Schumacher dramatically slowed ahead of him. The Brit duly went sailing into the barriers at Parabolica as the race got back underway, although his was deemed to be in a safe enough position to be removed without the protection of the safety car. The restart saw Michael Schumacher sprint into the lead, Häkkinen and Villeneuve giving chase in second and third. Ralf Schumacher was next ahead of Giancarlo Fisichella, while Marc Gené in the uncompetitive was up in seventh as a result of the chaos at the first corner. There would be no stopping Schumacher at the head of the field, with the German ace easing away from Häkkinen by a second a lpa. Villeneuve, meanwhile, would retire with a gearbox failure, allowing Jos Verstappen to move into third, having passed Ralf Schumacher after he made a mistake. Ricardo Zonta would subsequently claim third with a controversial move at the chicane on lap 19, with Verstappen trying to run the Brazilian off circuit. Zonta duly cut the chicane to claim third, with Verstappen's protests waved away, before Zonta became the first scheduled pit caller on lap 23. Out front, meanwhile, Schumacher would briefly lose the lead to Häkkinen during the pitstop phase, before the Finn stopped to hand him back the lead. Häkkinen duly began to chip away at the German ace's lead, although time would run out before the McLaren racer could entertain any thoughts of an attack. Schumacher hence crossed the line to claim victory, before breaking down in a post-race press conference having been told that his 41st win put him level with Ayrton Senna on the all-time win list. Häkkinen, meanwhile, secured second to maintain his Championship lead, while Ralf Schumacher reclaimed third from Verstappen during the stops. Background Mika Häkkinen moved six points clear atop the Championship after his fourth win of the campaign, moving onto 74 points for the season. Michael Schumacher was his closest threat, leaving the Belgian race on 68 points, while David Coulthard had slipped thirteen off the lead in third. Behind Rubens Barrichello was still mathematically in the hunt in fourth, while Ralf Schumacher completed the top five on 20 points. In the Constructors Championship it was who had left Spa as the best team in the field, holding 125 points to their name. were still second, eight off the lead, with those two the only teams capable of taking the crown. , meanwhile, were in an increasingly secure third, with trying to get back on terms with fourth placed . Entry list The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Qualifying Report Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. Milestones * 200th Grand Prix to feature an entry for a engine.'14. Italy 2000', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/2000/italie.aspx, (Accessed 05/09/2019) * Michael Schumacher claimed his 41st career victory. ** That left the German ace level with Ayrton Senna in second on the all-time winner's list. ** Also Schumacher's 80th podium finish. * claimed their 132nd win as a constructor and engine supplier. * Mika Häkkinen recorded his twentieth fastest lap. Standings Michael Schumacher's sixth win of the campaign moved the German ace to within two points of the Championship lead with three rounds to go, leaving Italy with 78 points. Mika Häkkinen hence continued to lead the charge, with those two set to duel for the crown for the rest of the season. Indeed, while David Coulthard remained mathematically in the hunt, the Scot left Italy nineteen behind his title leading teammate, and hence would have to win all three remaining races just to entertain a challenge. In the Constructors Championship had seen their lead cut in half atop the points table, although they had still ended the afternoon with a four point advantage. Indeed, had done the damage, moving onto 127 points for the campaign, with the two teams having seven wins apiece heading into the final stage of the season. Behind, continued to inch away from their pursuers in third, while likewise enhanced their grip on fourth. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:2000 Grands Prix Category:Italian Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in Italy